


Elective Affinities

by rotrude



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comedy, Experimental Style, Multi, Partner Swapping, Romance, Unconventional Families
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 09:18:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14399019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rotrude/pseuds/rotrude
Summary: Sometimes you don't stop at marriage number one. Sometimes your quest for happiness takes you somewhere rather unexpected.





	Elective Affinities

Gwen met Arthur at Salsa class, when they inadvertently crashed into each other to the rhythm of _El Amor de Los Amores_ , which seemed apt and prophetic, but was also a little off-putting and bone- bruising given that they had sent each other sprawling on the dance floor. Their excuse was that they were both new at it and still rather clumsy, though a spluttering Arthur wouldn't admit it. He had held himself stiffly upright throughout their confrontation on the subject, maintaining he had perfect balance and, to quote him, 'highly enhanced body cognition'. But he believed in chivalry so, to apologise for the incident and her consequent bum soreness, he invited her out for a bite to eat.

He chose a fancy Italian place in Fitzrovia that served bona fide parmisan capon broth. They fell to chattering animatedly and ordered the same things, surprising each other with perfectly matching tastes. Once they'd realised how well they fit together, they couldn't stop smiling. 

They hit it off and that was when everything started. Back then Gwen was still married to Merlin and Arthur was with Mithian. She and Merlin had two girls; Killy and Aithusa, and a poodle they had named Glatisant, which they also liked to call The Questing Beast, because it always roamed the house in search of food. Arthur had children of his own: Mordred, Kyduan, and Amr, and one huge Alsatian called Rinty, after the star dog (not very inventive there). Gwen and Merlin were simply better at christening house pets, no contest.

Arthur was tall, blonde, and fit, characteristics which Gwen had always secretly daydreamed about (in spite of marrying a honey-voiced, dark-haired beanpole with the sweetest eyes ever) with a penchant for numbers, and a few daddy issues, which Gwen had never hoped for in a partner, and which she found a little disquieting. 

They hit it off. Arthur petitioned for a divorce and asked Gwen to take measures to get separated from Merlin. Wait, Gwen said though. Wait. Though she wanted to regularise her position, she wasn't yet a hundred percent sure. There's something I must do first. Gwen wasn't naive. She was too grounded for that, too rational, in spite of her romantic side. She asked Arthur for Mithian's mobile. 

His eyebrows creased at the request but that was even more reason to proceed. She said, I'm not taking this step lightly. I must clear my conscience. She rang Mithian up and they agreed to meet at the cafe that stood across from her work place. 

Mithian curated an art gallery so Gwen got off at Green Park, feeling a little awed by her posh surroundings, and a little too heavily burdened with the prospect of the confrontation about to take place. 

Her fears dispelled as soon as she saw Mithian. She experienced a sense of familiarity upon sight of her, as if they were old childhood friends, bonded spirits, like Karma had brought them together. Gwen believed in destiny deeply. Besides, Mithian had a classic beauty about her that struck Gwen in its loveliness and that put her at ease, making her want to look and look.

However Gwen was aware of the position she was in, what role she might be thought to have played, so she asked Mithian straight out if she hated her, had a grudge against her. Mithian said she ought to. After all Gwen was the other woman. It stood to reason. Before meeting her Mithian had even tried to fan her own perceived resentment against Gwen. She had tried to tell herself that Gwen was her enemy. But that was empty ego-boosting talk and Mithian didn't think that any more because she had liked her as soon as she had clapped eyes on her. If I were Arthur, I'd have done the same. I must be honest, she said, shrugging her shoulders with all the elegance of a grand dame.

They agreed to collaborate on this. They were in this situation anyway and there was no getting out of it, not without closing their eyes to a few home truths. So Gwen did what she had got there for. She begged Mithian to point out all Arthur's good and bad traits.

Mithian ordered a double shot of espresso with rum on the side and started going over the subject. Arthur was nothing but a good guy. She could only name his good qualities. But he must have some faults, Gwen said. She hadn't come across any yet herself, but she knew she hadn't frequented him long enough for any to come up yet. Mithian, as the wife, ought to have been aware.

Mithian sighed. Perhaps there is one. He's a thrill seeker. I think it must have something to do with working cooped up in an office all day long with his father. You know Uther's very demanding, never happy with anything his son does. Anyway Arthur likes taking risks. He's too fond of it. Once he got caught in a bank hold-up, and he disarmed a robber bare-handed. He saved an old lady into the bargain but he came this close – she held her index and thumb very close – to being shot. He's into extreme sports as well and must, absolutely must, excel at them. Or he goes into a sulk. Mithian warmed up on her subject. He takes martial arts classes and defensive driving courses. He skydives, paraglides and bungee jumps. He indoor climbs and dives. That's why I suggested Salsa, it seemed less of an impact activity for him to get his endorphin high on. She finished her rum. He must absolutely have his daily ten-mile run. If he can't get to uncurl his legs, he turns into a right pain in the backside, Mithian explained. 

Gwen thought a while. Tried to picture her life with Arthur. That's not so bad, she said, I can deal with that and I've always liked a heroic man. To her defence, savviness notwithstanding, she'd had grown up on Disney romances.

With Arthur's disposition cleared up, they discussed the practical side of things. They started with the kids because they always came first and divorces were known to mess the young ones up the most. They were of a mind. They would take care of the children together. They shared the same opinions and outlooks concerning child rearing. Though Mithian and Arthur were both from a well off back-ground, unlike Gwen and Merlin, they wanted a normal education for their children, no public schools, no extravagant gifts, no wasteful amount of pocket money, in short no spoiling. Three boys and two girls would get along like a house on fire, Gwen said. They would make a point of having joint holidays. They even remembered about their pets. They were, after all, part of the family and mustn't be allowed to suffer from separation anxiety any more than the kids. 

They had things satisfyingly organised soon enough. Mithian would keep the house she had shared with Arthur because her sons were used to it and it was close to their school. It seems really fair, Gwen said. I have nothing against that. Arthur will move in with me and Merlin can find himself something cheap close by. Or he can move back to Wales, as he always wanted. 

Mithian and Gwen parted as friends, agreeing on all points regarding their future, and with kisses on both cheeks that came a little too close to the mouth. 

When the divorces were finalised, Arthur and Gwen got married. To hold the ceremony in they chose a small church in the Cotswolds and had a nice reception at a hotel boasting a landscaped garden. The partying lasted well into the small hours and since they had a red-eye flight booked for their honey moon, they didn't sleep a wink that night. 

When they returned, Merlin was still in their house. At first he looked for a new place to go. There was talking of sharing a bed-sit with his mate Will, but Will was a bit of a junkie, a real one, and not reliable when it came to rent, or moving a few tube stops further away, so he wasn't so central, but that was unpractical with regards to his job. So Merlin stayed. 

Gwen had nothing against that. She had married Merlin because she liked him. They had always been friends. Perhaps they'd been best of friends rather than lovers and had hurried a teensy bit to get hitched, but that wouldn't change such a basic fact. Gwen loved having Merlin around.

Initially, Arthur had been a bit perplexed at Merlin's staying. He didn't understand how their ménage could work. To outsiders Gwen and Arthur were a married couple living with the bride's ex and Arthur still minded others' view of him. By and by, though, Merlin became a fixture and stopped looking for other digs. He never spoke of moving back to Wales again. He never even consulted the Metro letting listings anymore. He had put roots in London, his life was there, and, he told them, he didn't see himself anywhere else. There were also the girls to think about. They liked having their daddy home and he felt a pang at the idea of parting from Killie and Aithusa.

The truth was though that in the mean while Arthur and Merlin had become best mates. Their relationship had changed when they'd started going running together. At first they just went out for jogs. Then they added a run to the pub to the jog and after that they got even more companionable. They enrolled in half-marathons and then in the London marathon. Soon they were always off somewhere, signing up for sporting events all around the world. 

The more Arthur ran, the more he gave up on his passion for extreme, life-threatening sports. Merlin had seemingly cured him of his penchant for danger. How he had done that Gwen didn't know since she hadn't been able to talk Arthur into being more reasonable. Neither had Mithian in her time. During one of their outings together – Gwen and Mithian had taken to taking strolls together – Mithian told her: you know, Merlin's made a dent. Had an impact there, with Arthur, I mean. He's a bit magic that way because Arthur can be so stubborn.

Although she had her girls, Gwen started to miss her husband. When he wasn't with Merlin, he was in a sour mood over his father. And when he was like that Gwen really couldn't put up with him. She never said anything, but she wasn't fine with the way he acted around the house. His brooding moods, and conniption fits. Merlin found a way to talk Arthur round, to soothe him when he was at his most dejected and consequently aggravating, but Gwen just didn't know how. She needed an ally, somebody to talk to who would understand the situation, help her figure Arthur out. Who better than Mithian? She'd had been married to the man for ten years; she ought to have formed an opinion by now. 

They met up more and more frequently and spent hours and hours on the phone. Mithian's became Gwen's most dialled number. She was the first contact to appear on her What's App list and her most recently Skyped. 

Eventually Mithian and her sons moved into Gwen, Arthur and Merlin's place. It saved most of the fuss and since no one complained it was fine that way.

To begin with, Mithian dispensed advise on Gwen's marriage. She told Gwen how to act around Arthur, how to take him in stride, how to coax him out of his moods, but that seemed more and more irrelevant the more time Arthur spent with Merlin. In the mornings Arthur and Merlin left their house together on their way to their respective jobs, they had their hobby to bring them close, and on top of that they spent whole weekends on adventure retreats, which Arthur pushed for, and Merlin went along on, loudly protesting them, but not so secretly enjoying them. They had become the other side to each other's coin.

In no time Gwen found in Mithian a confidant. I made a mistake marrying him, she said. No, you didn't, Mithian said. You followed your heart. The way I did when I found Arthur. He was such a solid shoulder to cry on. At that Mithian started disclosing things about herself that made Gwen see what an extraordinary woman she was. Because of his wealth, her father had once been kidnapped. Even after he was ransomed, he hadn't been able to shake his fears of new abductions off, and Mithian, as an only child, had been his sole support. It had been hard, but she had had to be strong for him. She had thought Arthur could be there for her but she shouldn't have had to rely on him. She felt like a failure sometimes because she still couldn't manage to solve all her father's problems. Gwen couldn't quite understand how Mithian could doubt herself. She wasn't just painstakingly breath-taking; she had also had such a capacity for feeling. She might not be the best at coping, but who was? There was a rich and bright halo about her Gwen almost thought she could touch. I think I love you a little, Gwen said, when she was hit by that revelation. Me too, Mithian said, taking her hand.

Gwen and Mithian started dating each other, just like that, then a few months later Arthur and Merlin revealed they were attracted to each other. They had come to terms with that and now saw they were meant to be more than friends; they worked together too well for them not to try. Well, in that case, Gwen said, I think you should.

Now they all lived together under the same roof, Arthur and Mithian's three boys, Gwen and Merlin's two girls, their two dogs (who didn't actually get along because Rinty dreamt of eating the Questing Beast), and of course Gwen and Mithian and Arthur and Merlin. Things had never been better. They'd finally acknowledged what they wanted all along, found their soul mates, though in a roundabout way. As an enlarged family they work better than they would as nuclear ones, outside opinion be damned. They had their balance.

As of December, the Questing Beast's pregnant (in their couples' hullabaloo they forgot to spay her and she ran off in her heat). The x-rays says it's going to be a litter of five. They'll be the best of additions to their family.


End file.
